How to Train on Your Own

Any soccer player who wants to develop their skills needs to know what they can do on their own to speed up the process. Not only can you work on the basic skills of soccer, you also get a chance to work on more advanced moves. Certain techniques are tougher on some players more than others, so solo drills can be become extremely valuable when trying to master those techniques.

Below are just a few of the ways that soccer players can train on their own.

Just You and the Ball: Working on Control

No matter what position you play in soccer, you have to have good ball control to be able to improve the other parts of your game. These solo drills can either be dribbling the ball certain distances while alternating feet, or they can be just moving the ball side to side.

The most important thing that you should pay attention to while working on ball control is making sure that you get the best touch possible. Every time the ball touches either of your feet, make sure that you hit it with the right amount of power and that you cushion is properly.

The reason why these solo ball control drills can be great for your in-game performances is because you learn to focus the right way. With your teammates around you, you may be tempted to do too much or simply can’t focus enough on improving. While you’re alone, you can put all of the time that you need to into improving your dribbling and control. Concur your mental by checking out our article How to Become a Soccer Player with a Winners Mentality.

Solo Wall Drills

Ask any experienced soccer player about training on your own and they will tell you that walls can be your best friends. The wall will “kick” the ball back to you in any sort of way, and it is always there when you need to run some solo soccer drills!

Some of the best wall drills to do are simple control drills. You can kick the ball low and hard off of the wall to attempt some tougher traps, or you can kick it a bit lighter to try to redirect the ball in a certain direction.

Again, make sure that you use both feet when doing solo wall drills.

Solo Cone Drills

What’s great about cone drills is that you can use most of the same ones you use in practice on your own. If you find yourself not getting through these drills in practice, get a couple of cones (or any other markers) so you can work on them on your own. Soon enough you will have no issues doing these drills in practice, and you can continue to master them on your own time.

The majority of cone drills were created to help players work on their agility, so if this is a weakness in your game, you should definitely use them. For example, if you don’t move from side to side very well when you kick the ball with your weak foot, then focus on that part of the drill when you’re doing cone drills on your own.

Watch Professional Games

Watching other people play won’t have an immediate impact on your game, but it can certainly help you understand the game a bit better. Remember that soccer is as much a mental game as it is a physical one, so you can certainly do a lot to improve yourself as a soccer player if you watch how the pros play.

The best way to get something out of watching professional teams play is to focus on players who play in your position. Watch the way they move while they don’t have the ball, and also pay attention to how they play defense. You don’t necessarily have to try to play exactly like those players, but you will easily be able to see what your current weaknesses are so you can improve them.